Outlook for sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease varies between individuals from mild to serious, but most people with it lead happy and normal lives.

Mild sickle cell disease may have no impact on a person's day-to-day life.

But the illness can be serious enough to have a significant effect on a person's life.

It can lead to health problems like strokes, serious infections and lung problems, which can occasionally be fatal.

Overall, the life expectancy for someone with sickle cell disease tends to be shorter than normal, but this can vary depending on the exact type of sickle cell disease they have, how it's treated and what problems they experience.

Carriers of sickle cell (sickle cell trait)

A carrier of sickle cell is someone who carries the gene that causes sickle cell disease but does not have sickle cell disease themselves. It's also known as having the sickle cell trait.

People with the sickle cell trait will not develop sickle cell disease, but are at risk of having a child with it if their partner is also a carrier.